Given name & surname
Ellington
“eel”·“belonging to”·“enclosure; settlement, town”
Ellington is a surname from Old English.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ellington is built from elements meaning “eel” and “belonging to” and “enclosure; settlement, town”.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1921. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ellington through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,704
- 700 boys · 1,004 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 124 babies
- 2025
- 84
- #2,868 for girls · #4,167 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 34% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 59 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,868 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 15.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 85 in 2015. It also appeared in 25 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,104 as a first name in 2020; 10,791 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
People named Ellington
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ellington, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Larkin
“a pretty young woman” · “one who is fierce”
40% boys · 60% girls
Lennon
“daughter of love” · “son of love”
26% boys · 74% girls
Gentry
“woman with a high social standing” · “of good breeding; holding a high social standing”
52% boys · 48% girls
Rebel
“an outlaw”
35% boys · 65% girls
Ramsey
Ramsey is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the raven island; from the island of wild garlic.”
56% boys · 44% girls
Carrington
“a beautiful woman; a woman of Carrington” · “from the rocky town”
32% boys · 68% girls
Landry
“of the rough terrain”
43% boys · 57% girls
Arden
“one who is passionate and enthusiastic” · “from the valley of the eagles”
40% boys · 60% girls